‘I get it. It’s always a risk but I never thought it was gonna be to this extent’: Frontier Airlines traveler stuck in Mexico after this common booking problem
Recently, a traveler claimed she was left stranded in Cancun due to Frontier Airlines’ overbooking.
In a video posted on Feb. 15, TikTok user Lex (@shotbylexirose) shared how she and her boyfriend found themselves stuck in Cancun for an extra 24 hours when “Frontier overbooked the flight by 20 people.”
On the morning of their return flight, Lex claims she received a text alert from Frontier Airlines informing her that their flight was reaching capacity. After checking in, neither Lex nor her boyfriend, who had booked their reservations separately, were assigned seat numbers. “So we're like, OK, well, when we get there, we'll just have to, you know, go up to the front and get a seat,” Lex said in her video.
Upon arriving at the airport, they found it was in chaos. “Like, there's tons of people and we go up and they're doing the passport verification. And the guy's like, we have to finish the boarding group process before we can give you any information.”
After all the other passengers had boarded, the remaining group, including Lex and her boyfriend, were told they would have to spend the night and catch the same flight the next day.
While Frontier Airlines did arrange for the stranded passengers to stay in a hotel, Lex felt that the compensation was inadequate for the inconvenience they had experienced. “This whole process, just like takes forever. And then we have to wait for the shuttle to come. And like by the time we actually make it to this hotel, which is just like the most average hotel, and it's just in the middle of nowhere,” she remarked.
Based on her bad experience, Lex shared some advice for other Frontier travelers. She said, “The first thing is, if you can, and if you have the funds, just buy a frickin’ seat on the plane." She added, “You need to check in as early as possible. It's kind of like Southwest, like they just hand out those extra seats, like you know, based on who comes in first.”
@shotbylexirose This was a wild experience lol. @Frontier Airlines can you NOT overbook flights by 20 people? Especially internationally… #frontierairlines #frontierairlinessucks #overbookedflight #travelnightmare #frontier #cancuntravel #stuckinmexico #budgettravel ♬ original sound - lex
The video, which has amassed 44,000 views, quickly sparked a discussion in the comment section, with commenters chiming in to share their own advice about flying with Frontier.
“You need to pay for your seat on Frontier to guarantee a seat,” one commenter said.
“When you pick an airline without regular multiple flights a day, it’s a huge risk,” a second added.
“always buy a seat,” a third remarked.
Overbooking is a common practice among airlines, including Frontier. In fact, Frontier Airlines has been known to have a serious problem with overselling flights and bumping passengers. According to one article, “the Denver-based airline involuntarily bumped 3.73 passengers per 10,000, far more than other airlines in the US.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lex via TikTok comment and to Frontier Airlines via their press email.
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